Urban Biodiversity

The Urban Biodiversity Program was created in 2000 to promote nature conservation in urban and semi-urban environments in order to protect natural areas, thus contributing to an improved quality of life.

The program builds linkages between natural spaces, biodiversity and preserved landscapes and works for solutions for urban critical problems. Small gardens, natural spaces, and Atlantic Rainforest remnants in urban areas are all a focus of the Program. Also, protecting the Araucaria Forest ecosystem, and other native ﬂora and fauna in urban areas is a priority of this initiative.

The Program encourages better environmental management and conservation of vital spaces through educational and recreational activities with students, property owners, and employees from corporations that own natural remnants. Moreover, the Urban Biodiversity Program helps integrate residents who remain in natural areas, helps establish a network of stakeholders for the protection of natural areas and biodiversity conservation, builds awareness of the importance

of maintaining biodiversity, and contributes to the quality of life of the residents. Moreover, the Programs operation aims to stimulate the improvement of public policies in order to help land owner through income generation mechanisms.

The program can be replicated for any municipality that might be interested. Currently this initiative is being implemented in four Brazilian cities including Curitiba, the Capital of the Paraná State.

During 2014, in partnership with the Education Department of the Municipality of Campo Largo, ConBio developed a training program about the Araucaria Forest reaching out to 100% of the municipality´s public school network.